a review by Paul Cordes Wilm

Oxymoron : noun, a figure of speech that combines contradictory words with opposing meanings; “old news”, “organized chaos”, “deafening silence” etc.

Oxymoron the first word / idea that pops into my head when I try to describe not just Being Dead’s brilliant new work Eels, but also when i try to describe the band itself and it’s quirky, childlike, minimalistic beauty. First of all, when I listen to this Austin, Texas three-piece, my mind instantly wants to begin listing all of the other (mainly obscure) bands that Being Dead sound like to me : a hint of Beat Happening’s innocence, an echo of early B-52’s, the angelic harmonies of Grass Widow, the surfy guitar jangle of The Yardbirds … And yet, the other side of my brain wants to completely shut this comparison idea down in order to celebrate just how immaculately original the band sounds! See what I mean?!

It goes without saying that you’re going to have to go directly to Spotify and listen to Eels to even have an inkling of what I’m talking about. As for an accurate review of the album? Well, to make a long story short : It’s fantastic. Eels is such an appropriate title for this LP because just when you think you’ve got a real grasp on what’s going on in a song, it playfully and shockingly (!) slithers away so that after a while, you’re chasing it everywhere like Alice’s rabbit. Countless listens later (yes, I like it that much!) I’ve come to the conclusion that the most fascinating element of their sound is it’s seemingly endless juxtapositions : male and female voices intertwine, tempos shift upend down effortless within the same song, even the production switches on and off, sometimes confounding the listener with a wash of reverb one minute and a clean, dry simplicity the next. Another oxymoron : Their songs are a sort of “cut & paste” kind of unpredictable and yet, due to sticking to this unique style, their sound remains consistent. It boggles the mind!

During the run-up to the release, I was ever so curious as to what they could and would do next, being a fan of this Being Dead previous to Eels. To my happiness and relief, what they did next was to not budge an inch to change their sound and style. Instead, they tweaked the sound and style they had already established into sonic perfection. The singing is more tuneful, the production is more gleaming, the tunes are more infectious.

More or less, Eels is a masterwork. At this point in time, Being Dead can do no wrong … even if they are a bunch of oxymorons!